But then she got a letter from Wells Fargo. According to Murphy, “They had closed out my account for inactivity because I kept it at zero balance and didn’t use it.” Six months of card inactivity was a leading factor in their decision to cancel her card, along with balances on Murphy’s other loans.

Banks cancelling inactive cards is common and Experian’s Rod Griffin says losing that spending power can hurt your credit score.

According to Griffin, “When you close an account, you lose the available credit for that account and so you have less available credit in total.”

Murphy’s credit score did see a small drop after she received the letter. She says “it went down to 728.”

Most banks don’t specify what length of inactivity will prompt a closure. Griffin says inactive accounts cost banks money to maintain, so if you want to keep a card, use it. Griffin says, “So make a small purchase, $10, $20, $30, turn around and pay it in full each month.”